Behaviour Issues

Lead Pulling

Some dog owners will mention that while their dog is a beauty at home, the second they leave the front gate it’s like they have a new dog on their hands! On the lead they have a dog that won’t listen and loses all sense of manners. They’re out of control, headstrong, stubborn, and just won’t stop trying to pull them down the street!

We might laugh along when a passer-by jokes about “Who’s walking who?” without giving away how embarrassing it feels to not be able to control their dog. Some owners even walk their dog late at night, just to avoid the worry of being seen.

Nobody wants to look like the dog owner who can’t walk their dog properly.

It’s not uncommon that owners will start to view the whole process of walking their dog to be a stressful activity. What’s to enjoy when your arm hurts from being pulled on every day? The guilt alone from the dog choking itself on its collar is enough to write the whole thing off as an unpleasant experience. Thus walking your dog less and less. We understand, but we can also help.

Remote Collars

With the right training, these packages are suitable for dogs of any age. This is also a suitable choice for owners of dogs with hearing impairments. It’s one of the few ways a deaf dog can be allowed off-leash.

Half Day Package (collar not included):

If you are providing your own remote training collar the cost of a half day will be $250.00 However, Eric must approve of the quality of the collar you are using first.

Any collar used will have to be up to the standard of E collar technologies with the mini educator.

Barging In and Out of Doors

Does your dog try and push out of the door when you're leaving the house for a walk? Getting in your way when you're answering the door? Or simply not letting you leave or enter the house without pushing through as well?

This is unruly behaviour and is one of the first things you should try and control with your dog.

Barking

Nobody wants to hear the news that their dog is creating a nuisance with their barking and howling. They certainly don't want to be kept up all hours of the night hearing it themselves.

Problem barking can come from a number of causes, such as Separation Related Behaviour. There are also all kinds of outside stimuli: loud noises like thunder or motorbikes, passing cars or people, other dogs, and people knocking on the door.

Getting a visit from the Rangers because of complaints about your dog's barking is an avoidable stress.

Submissive Urination

An embarrassing (and often messy) behaviour problem, which some dog owners may misdiagnose as their dog just being badly toilet trained. Submissive urination can happen in dogs who have been over punished, sometimes caused by poor genetics, and over excitement in puppies and adolescent dogs.

Car Chasing

A particularly dangerous problem for dogs of any size. Car chasing can fulfil an emotional need in a dog who is not getting enough stimulation from their owner. By not correcting this problem, this repetition will become a learned behaviour for your dog and difficult to stop.

Curbing "Prey Drive"

"Prey Drive" is when your dog is seeing other animals as prey (livestock, cats, small companion animals, other dogs) and wants to attack them.

Fence Jumping

Whether you live in suburbia near a road with heavy traffic or a rural area near farms and livestock, an escaping dog is a dangerous situation for everyone. Although this may be a stressful situation for you to go searching for your dog or having to pick up (and pay) to collect your dog from the pound, your dog doesn't see it this way. If your dog is having more fun when outside your yard than in it, this will become a learned behaviour and your dog will always want to escape until you can stop it. Follow the instructions on correcting the behaviour or "Dog Proofing" your home (see below).

Designing and Dog Proofing your Home

These tried and tested methods of preparing will make your home friendly and safe for a puppy or dog. You’ll learn how to create a dog friendly environment, which plants are toxic to dogs, how to improve your fencing to keep dogs in and out of certain areas, as well as creating a garden that you and your family (and your dog) can share.

Introducing New Pets

People may write off their own dog as being dog-aggressive or hating cats when their dog has reacted badly to a new animal in the home. Actually, the way new pets are introduced to the home needs to be done properly. This gives your new pet and your dog the best opportunity to cohabitate.

If you're planning on adopting a new dog or cat, it is best to stage an introduction first before committing to a new pet. For those not confident in introducing two animals, a Dog Behaviourist’s advice on the introduction is priceless.

Introducing the New Baby

Unfortunately, a new baby in the home is one of the most common reasons for a puppy or dog being rehomed or abandoned. Some people don't trust their dog around a baby, or have seen behaviour from their dog around the baby which they interpret as negative. A new baby needs to be introduced to a home with a dog properly. Remember, your dog was there first. They don't know who this strange little bundle of joy is yet!

Coprophagy

Coprophagy refers to a dog eating faeces. Whether it’s their own or other animals. It's a major gross out for people, and dog owners can feel embarrassed if their dog shows this behaviour. This should not be encouraged! Diseases can be passed through faecal matter, and would need to be corrected immediately.

And no one wants kisses from a dog with this problem!

Problems of Old Age

This is less to do with a behaviour issue, and more to do with learning to manage your dog as they age. As your dog matures, you may need to learn how to manage any number of problems associated with an aging canine. These include deafness, blindness, arthritis, incontinence, etc.

Deaf Dogs

Deafness isn't a behaviour problem, but learning to train a deaf dog that can be a difficult task for a dog owner. You will need to learn training techniques, such as non-verbal commands and body language.

Pica

Short and simple, but what can be a big problem for you and your dog, as well as your vet bills! Pica refers to dogs who swallow any objects that aren't food. They do this for no apparent reason. There are crazy stories online about dogs eating some really strange objects. Even simple things found in your backyard (clay, pebbles, etc.) aren't good for your dog either.

Self-Mutilation

A very distressing situation for a dog owner is watching their dog biting, chewing, scratching, and nibbling at themselves excessively. Eventually a point is reached where the dog is losing hair, bleeding, and even having infections from the wounds.

This problem can be stress related, but regardless needs to be corrected for your dog's own well being and health.

Mounting

A pretty common use of dogs in comedy is the pooch that starts humping something or someone. In real life, humping of legs, toys, furniture, or other dogs is a situation that owners can find funny or really embarrassing. Regardless, it is a behaviour that shouldn't be encouraged or ignored.